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I embrace and support everything which has already been said about children and parents, but I would like to speak to aging and what we call “growing old,” or our “golden years.” Some people struggle with this more than others, and the term “mid-life crisis” has been applied to many who have not come to grow old gracefully.
Yes, there are elderly people who do not have the means to take care of themselves, and many have been abandoned by their kids and other family members. Still, it is my experience at age-77, that it is all in my perspective and my own spirituality how I view my aging physical body. For most people their body starts declining in their forties.
The decline of our physical body, in my opinion, is a preparation for letting go of our physical body while still maintaining as much health and vitality in our body even as it declines. The growth of our relationships also includes the relationship which we have with ourselves and our body. How do we relate to our physical body, our thoughts, feelings, and our own spirituality.
This, to me, is essential for spiritual growth and development. People usually think about the relationships which they have with others but we must also look at how we relate to ourselves. Most people throughout their life are reacting to other people, places, or things. In my advancing years I have learned to quiet my mind and react less than I used to.
The world and people in it is not going to develop on my terms or how I feel it should be going. It is important for me to be at peace with myself regardless what is happening in this world, with my blood relations, or other people. It pains me to see some of this stiff but I cannot let it shake my spiritual foundation. The concept of family is different in different cultures and some embrace all human beings as family.
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